AT&T has admitted that BlackBerry Torch sales have thus far been, well, dim. Many anticipated that the BlackBerry Torch 9800 would officially put RIM back on the map. But the handset which was said to combine 'the luxuries of a touchscreen phone' with the rock-solid BlackBerry keyboard and e-mail connectivity has not made the impact that it was expected to make.
Firstly, the phone has dropped in price since it was first introduced, definitely not a sign of high demand.
Secondly, several market analysts did their research and found that almost all AT&T stores they called had the phone in stock not the usual sign of a phone that everyone's going crazy for.
To add another nail in the BlackBerry coffin some stores have said that most of their Torch 9800 sales were upgrades to existing BlackBerry customers and AT&T makes no money on phone sales to old customers.
But these are just little facts and figures that with enough research could be found for any product. It's just too easy to make a smartphone look bad. Problem is, the rumours that the Torch is struggling have been confirmed by Fred Devereux, AT&T's President of Operations for the western United States.
He was heard talking at the "Mobile Future Forward" conference in Seattle and said that “he felt the Torch 9800 was the best BlackBerry yet.” And was "surprised there hasn't been a faster adoption."
So if it is the best BlackBerry handset yet, why isn't it selling?
What do you think?
Is it the price, the touchscreen or the competition?
Source: TFTS
One thought on “BlackBerry Torch 9800 failing to sell.”
I use a BB Bold 2 9700 and had a quick play with the BB Torch just after it was released in the US. It feels just like the Bold 9700 but with a slidey keyboard and a slightly better browser. Once the new OS is released onto the older models like mine, there’s not going to be much to entice anyone.
I felt no urge to upgrade and would still prefer an iPhone if my company would let me have one.